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Athletes React Strongly To Zimmerman Verdict

MIAMI, FL – JUNE 18: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat controls the ball against the San Antonio Spurs during Game Six of the 2013 NBA Finals on June 18, 2013 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – From Dwyane Wade to Mike Wallace and all across the sports world, reactions poured in over the weekend about the George Zimmerman verdict, sometimes saying things they immediately had to retract.

Wade had one of the more restrained reactions on Twitter by an athlete saying, “Wow! Stunned!! Saddened as a father!! Som1 make sense of this verdict for me right now please!! …How do I explain this to my boys?”

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White drew the most criticism after he tweeted, “[Expletive] Zimmerman got away with murder today. Wow what kind of world do we live in. …All them jurors should go home and kill themselves for letting a grown man get away with killing a kid.”

One day later, White took to Twitter again to apologize, “I understand my tweet last night was extreme. I never meant for the people to do that. I was shocked and upset about the verdict. I am sorry.”

New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz tweeted out, “Zimmerman doesn’t last a year before the hood catches up with him.” Cruz apologized. Linebacker James Harrison wrote, “Think I’ll go pick a fight and get my ass kicked then pull my gun and kill somebody and see if I can get away.”

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith, who lost his brother last year, said on Twitter, “Also as mad as a lot of people are over the verdict…trying to take out Zimmerman isn’t the answer neither,” according to profootballtalk.com.